Upgrading 4870 512mb, Budget 140

[ultra619]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2-3 weeks or 2-
USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Starcraft II maxed, Crysis 2 Maxed, etc

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: radeob 4870 512 mb, antec 650 earthwatt psu

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: core 2 quad q6400, 4gb ddr2 667 mhz, haf 912

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: any

OVERCLOCKING: Yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No (can't due to mobo)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900 x2

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Say i wait a couple months and get the 7970, will that bottleneck my cpu?

 

[alvine]

i see no upgrade good upgrade for $140
and yes 7970 will bottleneck your processor

 

[ultra619]

what about a 6950

 

[caqde]

what you really need is to spend that money you would spend on a 7970 on a new CPU upgrade, http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page13.html and http://www.techspot.com/review/379-crysis-2-performance/page8.html list the Q6600's performance in the games you listed and you will notice that even with a superior GPU they couldn't attain very playable framerates.

What you need is a new motherboard with 8GB of DDR3 and an Intel i5 to get the best out of crysis and Starcraft II. It will give you a better boost then any GPU upgrade at this moment.

 

[jessterman21]

Your card is definitely still viable for playing on one of your monitors. I agree with the rest - upgrade your mobo, CPU, and RAM. I suggest an LGA 1155 mobo + i3-2120 + 8GB DDR3. Should be about $250 - or $200 if you want a super-basic mobo.

 

[ultra619]

If i buy the CPU, RAM, mobo now then i wont be able to the video card until next year. I also forgot to mention in the description that my card is showing signs of wear and tear.

 

[jessterman21]

If i buy the CPU, RAM, mobo now then i wont be able to the video card until next year. I also forgot to mention in the description that my card is showing signs of wear and tear.

What signs of wear and tear? Have you been playing air-hockey with it? Get some Endust and see if that helps. Your card's performance is worth about $110 right now, so a newer $140 card will not be an upgrade. The highest card I'd recommend is an HD 7870 or GTX 580 - but that's only if you game on both monitors. If you only game on one monitor, then a $170 HD 6870 will max out almost every game. Just know that your CPU and RAM will bottleneck you a bit.

 

[ultra619]

haha air hockey, but i have seen green lines running through the screens and i had to restart a couple times to get it back to normal. This has happened about 2-3 times a week and its really annoying.

 

[caqde]

Is your videocard under warranty most have 3 years I know the HD4000 series came out in 2008 the HD4870 came out in July 2008 so it is probable that you might still be covered under the warranty and can get that card RMA'd to allow for the more lucrative CPU upgrade. Because barring the issues with your current card performance wise your CPU is holding you back more than anything else.

 

[jessterman21]

Is your videocard under warranty most have 3 years I know the HD4000 series came out in 2008 the HD4870 came out in July 2008 so it is probable that you might still be covered under the warranty and can get that card RMA'd to allow for the more lucrative CPU upgrade.

Um. 2012-2008=4

 

[ultra619]

umm i bought the card used, does that still matter?

 

[caqde]

Um. 2012-2008=4

Yeah I can do my math. But you must consider that most people don't buy these cards the day it comes out especially considering the person posting doesn't seem to be the type of person to have the kind of money to buy expensive parts on the day a card is launched so I would see it as being likely that such a card would have been likely bought in 2009 a bit after it was released. (the next card to succeed the 4870 was released on april 2009 (4890), and sept 2009(5870) respectively and the 4870 was still being sold around that time so that would keep with my high probability that most 4870's out there are still under warranty although barely)

But it seems it was bought used. So unless you got it from a friend that knows when it was bought and is able to RMA it then you are going to need a new card. Used cards from stores usually have a 90day warranty unless you bought a protection plan for it.

 

[jessterman21]

Yeah I can do my math. But you must consider that most people don't buy these cards the day it comes out especially considering the person posting doesn't seem to be the type of person to have the kind of money to buy expensive parts on the day a card is launched so I would see it as being likely that such a card would have been likely bought in 2009 a bit after it was released. (the next card to succeed the 4870 was released on april 2009 (4890), and sept 2009(5870) respectively and the 4870 was still being sold around that time so that would keep with my high probability that most 4870's out there are still under warranty although barely)

Yeah, I realized my comment was pretty douchey, but couldn't delete it, and couldn't think of anything different to say.

Ultra, is your budget $140, or more like $500? You mentioned the budget of $140, then asked if waiting a few weeks to get the HD 7970 was a good idea... I'd say the HD 7870 is a great upgrade for you if you can afford it. Prices might drop in a week or two as the GTX 6xx cards are released.

 

[ultra619]

Yeah, I realized my comment was pretty douchey, but couldn't delete it, and couldn't think of anything different to say.

Ultra, is your budget $140, or more like $500? You mentioned the budget of $140, then asked if waiting a few weeks to get the HD 7970 was a good idea... I'd say the HD 7870 is a great upgrade for you if you can afford it. Prices might drop in a week or two as the GTX 6xx cards are released.

i could buy the 7970 in a few months not weeks, by then i will have time to save up for it and prices will drop when the rest of the Kepler GPU's are released.

 

[caqde]

Yeah, I realized my comment was pretty douchey, but couldn't delete it, and couldn't think of anything different to say.

Ultra, is your budget $140, or more like $500? You mentioned the budget of $140, then asked if waiting a few weeks to get the HD 7970 was a good idea... I'd say the HD 7870 is a great upgrade for you if you can afford it. Prices might drop in a week or two as the GTX 6xx cards are released.

No hard feelings . Its the internet communication issues are rampant.


Upgrading from the 4870 I would say the minimum to get a decent boost would be an HD7850 (at least in the new generation).